Rafe Comes Home
by Irish Rose1
Summary: What would have happened if Evelyn had not gotten involved with Danny


Disclaimer: I own none of these characters and the dialog is from the movie, but I just wanted more stories about Rafe and Evelyn. If I borrowed any ideas from anyone, my apologies. I have not read all the posted stories.

Summary: What would have happened if Evelyn had not let the nurses pressure her into moving on and as a result getting involved with Danny.

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She thought about what Sandra had said about it being time to move on and how Betty had told her Rafe had sent Danny to tell her, so she would know it was okay to let go. She missed Rafe desperately and didn't want anyone else, but how could she explain that to them. 

She knew they only wanted her to be happy, but with Rafe gone, that wasn't possible. Danny was Rafe's best friend and it had made her very uncomfortable the way Barbara had made such a big deal about their having a soda together, the night she'd spotted them together at the Black Cat Cafe. Mostly because Danny was seeing Sandra and they were trying to keep it quiet.

The one thing that kept going through her mind was the night Rafe had taken her to the Queen Mary and she wondered what would become of all of them. What would become of her now? 

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It was something Evelyn could not get used to, balmy weather in December. It was a Saturday evening and the girls had gone to the movies with some of the pilots. She was at the hospital, doing a final inventory of supplies for the day. It was either that, or go back to the nurses quarters to sit by herself and listen to the radio or open letters.

She's received a batch of them from England, from Rafe, but had not had the nerve to read them. She knew it would hurt too much to see his handwriting, to know he had perished in the Atlantic.

But the time eventually came where the supplies were inventoried, her desk was straightened up and she had no more excuses to keep her there. The night duty nurses kept an eye on the few patients that were asleep and she was urged to go home. Before she left, though, glanced at the calendar on her desk. December 6. 

Rafe had been dead for five months, but it seemed more like five years. She stood up with a sigh, retrieved her purse from a desk drawer and snapped off the desk light. 

What Evelyn had failed to notice as she was preoccupied with her thoughts of Rafe, was a tall figure that stood at one of the windows. It was only after she had turned off the light that she saw him standing there and thought her mind was playing a trick on her. Either that, or she'd just seen a ghost, Rafe's ghost. But Evelyn didn't believe in ghosts. 

She shook her head, as though to clear the image of Rafe from her mind and it seemed to work. When she looked at the window again, the image was gone. Her heart settled back to it's regular beat and she walked out of the hospital. She moved down the shallow stairs and something, she didn't understand exactly what, compelled her to look up at the night sky. It looked like the most brilliant diamonds that could be found, couched in velvet. 

When her eyes were again level with the horizon, the figure she had seen through the window stood right in front of her. Her mind could not grasp who stood there, even after she reached out and touched the khaki uniform. The pilot's wings over the left breast pocket made her weak in the knees and what she saw when she looked up made her lose consciousness all together. 

She was not aware of being caught before she hit the pavement, nor being carried to a nearby bench. When she opened her eyes, the impossible had become possible. Rafe was alive! The only thing she could think to say was, "We heard you were shot down."

"I was. I was in the ocean, it was so cold." Then he added, "You're so beautiful." He seemed hesitant, unsure why she wasn't happier to see him. Evelyn started to cry and Rafe tried to comfort her. "Hey, it's okay. I'm back." She nodded and tried to smile, but could only say , "You died."

"I know, but I'm back. It's okay, we're together." She could not stop crying, the shock was just too much. But Rafe seemed to take it as something else and she heard the hesitation in his voice. "We are together, aren't we?" She nodded emphatically, because she didn't want him to think she wasn't overjoyed at his return. 

She looked up at him and as the realization began to sink in that he was really there, wrapped her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her and held her the way he had dreamed of all of those cold, lonely months in England. 

After a moment, Rafe gently pulled Evelyn's arms from around his neck so he could look at her. "I told you I'd come back." was all he said before he kissed her. 


End file.
